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Emotional memorial for AFL player John McCarthy

ELEANOR HALL: Thousands of people have gathered in Port Adelaide in Melbourne and in Sorrento in regional Victoria to remember the life of AFL footballer, John McCarthy.

He died just over a week ago when he fell from the roof of a hotel in Las Vegas.

Nicola Gage reports from the memorial service at Alberton Oval in Port Adelaide.

SUPPORTER: We're all going to miss him. It's like taking a cog out of the wheels.

SUPPORTER 2: He was a lovely guy, always smiling andů

SUPPORTER 3: Yeah, he was a good and respected player who was loved by many and he'll be sadly missed.

NICOLA GAGE: John McCarthy's death has devastated not only his friends and family but also the hundreds of thousands of followers of the AFL.

Port Adelaide supporter Kane Hicks.

KANE HICKS: A lot of people are feeling that connection with him and it's a sad loss and I think it's really good to see that, all the supporters are gathering around and supporting the remarkable life of John McCarthy.

NICOLA GAGE: A sea of black, white and teal has filled the stands at Alberton Oval, Port Powers headquarters to pay their respects to John McCarthy.

He debuted in the AFL in 2008 with Collingwood, before moving to the Power at the start of this year.

Port Adelaide club champion, Russell Ebert is at Alberton. He says the football community has rallied together to get through the tragic time.

RUSSELL EBERT: I think today will be an indication of how quickly John was embraced by the club and the contribution he made in such a short time.

NICOLA GAGE: How has this affected the club's mentality?

RUSSELL EBERT: It's grief at the moment and sadness and all that but after today, it'll be memories and there'll be things that trigger memories of J-Mac when the boys get back to training and he's not here, so it's significantly affected the club after a disappointing year.

NICOLA GAGE: McCarthy's funeral service is taking place in Sorrento, his home town, at St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic Church.

Both Port Adelaide and Collingwood players are attending.

Port Adelaide club spokesman Andrew Rutter.

ANDREW RUTTER: John created quite an amazing impression in less than a year at the football club and I'll think you'll see from the turnout today that he really connected with our supporter base and I think the wider community too. Everyone is obviously saddened by the death of someone so young so this is really just an opportunity to pay their respects to John.

NICOLA GAGE: Port Adelaide Football Club chaplain Brandon Chaplin is leading the memorial service at Alberton Oval.

He says McCarthy will be remembered as a likeable character.

BRANDON CHAPLIN: Warm, engaging, funny, fun and had time for people. He had time for people. Often footballers can be busy and they can be bombarded. John was the guy that took those extra minutes.

NICOLA GAGE: Mr Chaplin has been counselling players since McCarthy's death. He says many are still in shock.

BRANDON CHAPLIN: Yeah, of course it's raw. There's a lot of, there's a lot of shock over something like this because no one expects their friends to die at the age of 22. And they've been wrestling with that and they'll have to deal with some of that again today in Sorrento as they, at the funeral.

NICOLA GAGE: Speaking with supporters at Alberton, it's easy to see how much grief McCarthy's death has caused and how many people he's touched.

SUPPORTER 4: It's certainly showed how close we are with this sad, sad tragedy.

NICOLA GAGE: Has this really brought the community together?

SUPPORTER 4: Yes, I think it has. This has brought everybody out and it's just so good to see because at the end of the day our heart is in it, our heart is in this club, so blood, sweat and tears to this club.